Christmas 2017
Christmas Break finally arrived and with it the good news that my husband had landed a brand new job! We’re moving back home to the South! Paul and I headed out as soon as school was dismissed and drove to our stopover city Kansas City. We only had a few hours to look around so I visited all my favorite places: Pryde’s, 5B&Co, dinner at Minsky’s for the best pizza in the world, Donutology for delicious gf donuts and coffee and coffee supplies from The Roasterie.
The next day we drove all day to Franklin, TN and as soon as we arrived Paul’s parents took us to Sapphire in The Factory. I had delicious shrimp and grits and washed it down with sparkling wine. The next day we opened tons of presents and Paul’s parents made a delicious lunch. We walked around the Franklin Square and went in the spice shop. That night my best friend Amy came over and we ate at Chuy’s and then opened presents at her Starbucks. It was a perfect evening! The next day we ate lunch as a family at Mellow Mushroom and then Paul and I drove to Mississippi to spend Christmas with my mom.
We spent Christmas Eve in Batesville with Mom and went to our favorite sushi place that night. Christmas Day we had a yummy lunch that Mom made and then Central bbq for dinner that Paul picked up the night before in Memphis. It was a very fun Christmas!
Dec 26th
The next day I drove to Memphis to Another Broken Egg to have breakfast with Stephanie and open one million Christmas presents. I love the delicious grits in that place! Our first stop was Superlo to get Southern food and thank you presents for Kansas friends and then on to Williams Sonoma Outlet for the deals! We stopped in Buster’s for the amazing selection of Southern booze and then across the street to say goodbye forever to Spin Street since it closes in January. For lunch it was Peiwei with Paul and Stephanie for a quick and delicious gf meal and then on to the new South Main Market to check it out. We saw the new Java Cabana. Afterwards another trip to
Penzey’s to stock up for the last months in Kansas. We stopped in Fresh Market for grapefruit chews and my favorite pickles and then dinner at Cafe Ole with Stephanie and Paul for my favorite margarita in the world and the crazy corn that is crazy good! It was another Day After Christmas extravaganza that I loved every minute of!!
Dec 27th
The next day was more shopping. I spent all morning in Germantown going to my favorite chain stores. Paul and I had lunch at Memphis Pizza Cafe with Jon Devin and then made it to the Dixon Art Gallery for the beautiful paper dresses exhibit. We stopped in the bookstore that replaced Davis Kidd and then it was on to The Escape Room Memphis! This was so much fun! Paul had wanted to try one for ages and I’m so glad we did. Afterwards it was on to India Palace for the best Indian food in Memphis (and the world as far as I’m concerned) and to chat with the very kind waiters who brought us my favorite naan and ice cream for free!
Dec 28th
The next day we met up with Barry and Reece for lunch at Railgarten, the new playground and restaurant area on Central Ave. The food was delicious: Niçoise salad and veggie omelette with duck fat fries! Those fries were amazing!
We drove back to Batesville to visit with Mom again, pick up the dog and then we were on to Conway, AR to visit the Wilder/Throckmortons. My cousin Laura made a chili dinner for her family, her parents and her younger brother. It was soul nourishing to eat and laugh with them for a few hours! It was a packed and happy Christmas break full of laughter and presents with friends and family. We were lucky to fit it all in before Paul had to leave for his new job!
Christmas Break finally arrived and with it the good news that my husband had landed a brand new job! We’re moving back home to the South! Paul and I headed out as soon as school was dismissed and drove to our stopover city Kansas City. We only had a few hours to look around so I visited all my favorite places: Pryde’s, 5B&Co, dinner at Minsky’s for the best pizza in the world, Donutology for delicious gf donuts and coffee and coffee supplies from The Roasterie.
The next day we drove all day to Franklin, TN and as soon as we arrived Paul’s parents took us to Sapphire in The Factory. I had delicious shrimp and grits and washed it down with sparkling wine. The next day we opened tons of presents and Paul’s parents made a delicious lunch. We walked around the Franklin Square and went in the spice shop. That night my best friend Amy came over and we ate at Chuy’s and then opened presents at her Starbucks. It was a perfect evening! The next day we ate lunch as a family at Mellow Mushroom and then Paul and I drove to Mississippi to spend Christmas with my mom.
We spent Christmas Eve in Batesville with Mom and went to our favorite sushi place that night. Christmas Day we had a yummy lunch that Mom made and then Central bbq for dinner that Paul picked up the night before in Memphis. It was a very fun Christmas!
Dec 26th
The next day I drove to Memphis to Another Broken Egg to have breakfast with Stephanie and open one million Christmas presents. I love the delicious grits in that place! Our first stop was Superlo to get Southern food and thank you presents for Kansas friends and then on to Williams Sonoma Outlet for the deals! We stopped in Buster’s for the amazing selection of Southern booze and then across the street to say goodbye forever to Spin Street since it closes in January. For lunch it was Peiwei with Paul and Stephanie for a quick and delicious gf meal and then on to the new South Main Market to check it out. We saw the new Java Cabana. Afterwards another trip to
Penzey’s to stock up for the last months in Kansas. We stopped in Fresh Market for grapefruit chews and my favorite pickles and then dinner at Cafe Ole with Stephanie and Paul for my favorite margarita in the world and the crazy corn that is crazy good! It was another Day After Christmas extravaganza that I loved every minute of!!
Dec 27th
The next day was more shopping. I spent all morning in Germantown going to my favorite chain stores. Paul and I had lunch at Memphis Pizza Cafe with Jon Devin and then made it to the Dixon Art Gallery for the beautiful paper dresses exhibit. We stopped in the bookstore that replaced Davis Kidd and then it was on to The Escape Room Memphis! This was so much fun! Paul had wanted to try one for ages and I’m so glad we did. Afterwards it was on to India Palace for the best Indian food in Memphis (and the world as far as I’m concerned) and to chat with the very kind waiters who brought us my favorite naan and ice cream for free!
Dec 28th
The next day we met up with Barry and Reece for lunch at Railgarten, the new playground and restaurant area on Central Ave. The food was delicious: Niçoise salad and veggie omelette with duck fat fries! Those fries were amazing!
We drove back to Batesville to visit with Mom again, pick up the dog and then we were on to Conway, AR to visit the Wilder/Throckmortons. My cousin Laura made a chili dinner for her family, her parents and her younger brother. It was soul nourishing to eat and laugh with them for a few hours! It was a packed and happy Christmas break full of laughter and presents with friends and family. We were lucky to fit it all in before Paul had to leave for his new job!
Christmas 2016!
Vacations always make me happy but I truly can't remember a Christmas break that I have enjoyed more than this one. I loaded up my Jeep a few minutes after work ended on December 16 and started driving toward The Mississippi River listening to Christmas music all the way. Paul and I traveled separately because he didn't want to be gone from home for 19 days. I spent two months planning out exactly how I would spend every single minute of my Christmas extravaganza in the South and in Las Vegas.
Basically I spent time hugging friends and looking them in the eyes as they told me about their lives. They talked and I listened over my favorite Memphis meals like meat and threes and Southern veggie plates. I reconnected with people I haven't seen in years. I sat down with friends and family that I text with constantly but rarely get to "really connect" with. And I "really" caught up on eating all the food I've missed over the last two years. I also got to visit restaurants I've only visited on Instagram so there were many days in a row where I felt like I was living in foodie Instagram heaven. Again, the whole vacation felt like one long daydream.
Here's what I ate and here's who I saw:
On my first full day at home Mom and I drove in to Memphis and ate lunch at Soul Fish Cafe. We both had veggie plates with cornbread and as usual I thought I could have eaten three helpings of white beans with hot sauce sprinkled on top. We shopped in all my favorite Memphis stores and came home to Batesville to have sushi for dinner at Yomata. I was thrilled to eat a crawfish roll and delicious shrimp fried rice. It was a great day of shopping and eating with Momma.
The next day I drove back to Memphis and went directly to India Palace to have the buffet with one of my oldest and dearest friends in Memphis: Deanna Stark. Not only was Deanna my choir director at church but we were in a French band together called Tarte Blanche and that band, my friends, was one of the best truly unanticipated pleasures of my life. Deanna was a teacher for many years and even though she changed careers she's still one of the funniest teacher badasses I've ever met. We both really love India Palace. She loves it so much she gave her dog the middle name Jamun for the gulab jamun desserts at India Palace. We had a great time catching up and I laughed the whole time.
After lunch I drove over to Williams Sonoma Outlet to meet up with one of my newest and best friends in Memphis: Stephanie Wilson. Even though we both moved away from Memphis we still love that dirty city and all the good memories it holds. We drove east towards Collierville to eat at One and Only BBQ, a place I'd never been even though there are a few of them in Memphis. I had the bbq nachos, deviled eggs and twice baked potato salad. This meal was the bomb! It's so hard to describe the difference in good and great bbq in Memphis because even though Central BBQ will always be my favorite, this place is one of my new favorites. And that potato salad!!
The next day I drove to Oxford, Mississippi to see the one and only Regan Hailman, my beloved high school French teacher. I drove to the Oxford Square an hour early so I could go in the bookstores and shop in Neilson's. Then I drove to Mrs. Hailman's beautiful home where we sat and drank a glass of champagne while we caught up for an hour. Then we drove to the Square and had lunch at Ajax, my favorite restaurant in Mississippi. I had, as usual, the sweet potato casserole, broccoli rice casserole, pot roast and turnip greens and chocolate chess pie and coffee for dessert. I nearly fell out when Mrs. Hailman said she'd never eaten in Ajax because her husband said it was too loud in there. That's like living in Memphis for 40 years and never trying BBQ! We had such a great heart-to-heart about life and love. I may get to visit her this summer in her house in France!
After I left her house I drove back to Batesville to pick up a suitcase for the trip to the in-laws in Nashville and headed back to Memphis to have dinner with one of my best friends of my entire life: Barry Flippo and his precious partner Reece. We decided to eat at El Porton in "our neighborhood" at Highland and Poplar but we're calling it the NEW El Porton because it moved into the space that Buffalo Wild Wings used to be. I liked the new space but it was weird to be in that space not eating medium wings with a side of cheese fries. I had my usual chicken nachos and a side of rice and listened with a happy face to all the news they had to share. It was so great to be home and exchanging Christmas gifts with people who make me think and laugh. Then Stephanie came in and joined the hilarity and then we left together to eat yet another meal! We went to Belly Acres at Overton Square and the food is SO delicious! I ordered the fried pickles with spicy ranch and a side of turnip greens. I had some of Stephanie's too and overall we loved the atmosphere, the decor and the food at Belly Acres. Afterwards we walked in Sweet Noshings for some gummi bears and other candies and drove to yet ANOTHER food destination: Muddy's Cupcakes. Stephanie had been looking for their gingerbread cookies twice already and finally they had some. I ate a chocolate cupcake (the Prozac) and a brown butter krispy treat and then I drove to my hotel in Memphis and passed out.
The next morning I drove three hours east to Nashville. I drove directly to Hattie B's Hot Chicken. This place has been on my mind and my Instagram feed forever. I could not WAIT to try it and it exceeded my expectations! I ordered the medium hot chicken tenders, black eye pea salad, French fries, pimento cheese macaroni, bread and pickles. The chicken was perfection. How can I describe it? The chicken was fried, obviously and the taste was dry peppery hot with a tight fitting soft crunch batter. The sides were good but the chicken was a home run. Afterwards I drove around downtown Nashville and couldn't decide if I wanted to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame or not. I decided that I would save it for another trip and eat some more instead. I went in Little Mosko's for a cappuccino and cornmeal blueberry cookies. The bakery is known for having only gf treats and I really wanted the "gf yourself" tee shirt but where would I wear this? To work? Nope.
Then I drove in to Franklin and went in The Factory to look at antiques and the other cute shops inside. At Franklin Juice Bar I had a strawberry blueberry mango smoothie and it energized me so much that I swore I would live on nothing but smoothies when I returned to Dodge City after Christmas. I bought some gf doughnuts in 5 Daughters Bakery and they were tasty but not as tasty as they looked. Then I walked up and down the Franklin Square and eventually made my way to my hotel for the evening. My hotel was in the same parking lot as a Cracker Barrel so I called in an order and ate a veggie plate with unsweet tea in front of the TV in my pajamas and then passed out!
The next morning I drove back to the Franklin Square and went in the Frothy Monkey for a cappuccino and a gf orange cranberry muffin. Both were delicious and I loved the early morning vibe in this place. Again, I feel like I have visited this place many times only because I follow them on Instagram. Fifteen minutes later Puckett's Grocery opened for breakfast and I went in for some scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuit and Gouda grits. Everyone knows Puckett's and I can't believe I'd never been there. The atmosphere was so charming and so Nashville. The grits were delicious, of course. I spent the rest of the morning buying supplies from a list I'd made for Bed, Bath and Beyond and TJ Maxx. I had Chipotle for lunch and got in the Christmas mood as I watched large families piling into the tables excited to be together. Then I went to a part of Franklin I'd never been, the antique district off the main drag of the Square. This is probably the most charming thing I did during the whole holiday. There were at least 7 stores all selling the prettiest antiques I've ever seen at the corner of 2nd Ave and Margin Street. The clerks were so hospitable and fun to talk to. I bought a faux fur wrap and an antique gold mirror. I was in heaven.
When I walked over to the antique book store Paul called and said he was pulling into his parents' driveway so I drove over to my in-laws' home in Franklin and hugged my in-laws, my husband and my little dog who had missed me terribly. That night Paul's parents took us to The Red Pony. I was ecstatic when my father-in-law announced that we would be having dinner there because I've always wanted to eat in this restaurant. It's a beautiful place right on the Franklin Square. I ordered the beef tenderloin and it was as soft as butter and flavored with a bouquet of intense spices. I also had the kale, orange, fennel and feta salad which was amazing. Paul ordered a delicious cheese plate with smoked salmon that he was allergic to (so I ate all of it) and Korean BBQ sushi (which tasted like pork heaven) We all shared an assortment of small pieces of bread in different shapes and flavors. I washed all of it down with the Bordeaux my father-in-law ordered for the table and a cocktail called the Down Loe made with sloe gin. This is probably the best meal I've ever had in Franklin, Tennessee.
The next day Mom Morelli made dinner: Cornish hens, winter vegetable bake, cornbread and peppermint ice cream and then we opened all of our Christmas presents! It was so fun unwrapping the thoughtful presents my mother-in-law had carefully picked out for me. Paul bought his parents a bottle of the local Dodge City whiskey from the new Boot Hill Distillery. We talked for a long time and then it was time for my best friend Amy to come over and whisk me away for our annual exchange of Christmas gifts and general catch-up fest. We ate at Mellow Mushroom on the Franklin Square and I ordered my usual gf pizza: pepperoni and black olive. I also had a gf lager that I wish I'd written the name down. It was delicious! It is always so very good to catch up with Amy and I was happy to hear about her new boyfriend.
The next morning Paul and I drove to Batesville and the three of us had sushi for dinner at Yomata. We went to church and I was happy to see some of my high school teachers and high school friends, especially Fisher Fleming Hicks who was my best friend in high school. Mom made a ton of food for Christmas Day lunch. We went to church and opened so many presents! I was truly spoiled this year. Afterwards the three of us took our dog for a long walk around Sardis Dam and then ended up at Yomata sushi again for dinner!
The morning after Christmas I drove to Stephanie's childhood home in Memphis. We spent the whole morning eating and hitting the after-Christmas sales. We had an unbelievably delicious breakfast at the Barksdale Cafe in Cooper Young. This is a place we always meant to try as "true Memphians" but better late than later. There are many places we are trying now that we've moved away and shake our heads in disbelief wondering how we could have lived so long in a place without eating at these places.
We had lunch at Cafe Ole before I got on the plane for Las Vegas and as usual the crazy corn was crazy delicious and the frozen margarita was the best in the entire world. When I got to Las Vegas I checked into my hotel The Flamingo at 7 PM local time but it felt like midnight to me. I stayed at the Flamingo because I wanted to be in the middle of the Strip and the rooms are large. I assumed it would be pretty quiet in Las Vegas after Christmas but the hotel and the whole Strip was super crowded and hopping with tourists from all over the world.
In truth when I woke up the next morning I felt like a mouse that had just been let loose in a cheese shop. I had made a list of all the places that I wanted to try in Las Vegas but I threw that out the window as soon as I saw the endless options of food to try right outside the hotel. I also quickly realized that if I didn't want to spend my whole vacation standing in line for food I would have to eat early in the morning. Sometimes that meant eating a lunch buffet at 7:30 in the morning. It was an odd schedule but it worked for me.
And you can read about the rest of the Las Vegas trip and see the pictures by clicking: HERE!
When I landed back in Memphis Stephanie was there to pick me up at the airport. She drove us to Patrick's at Park and Mt. Moriah for black eyed peas, squash, spinach casserole and cornbread. I had been to Patrick's before and loved it but I don't know why I never went there all the time! This place has AMAZINGLY good Southern food. It was New Year's Eve and raining and there weren't many people in the restaurant. It was so nice to catch Stephanie up on all my Las Vegas adventures and eat more yummy Southern food. Afterwards we went to my hotel and watched live New Year's Eve specials on TV.
The next morning Stephanie came to pick me up and we went to Bryant's for breakfast on Summer Ave. I feel like I've typed this a thousand times but I can't BELIEVE I'd never been to this place. It's been on Summer Ave since the 1960's and it blew my mind it was so good!! And an added bonus? I ran into one of my favorite students I taught at Middle College while I was in there and caught up on her college life! After another trip to Whole Foods it was time to say goodbye to Memphis and head back to my Mom's to pack up the vacation. Mom and I ate Subway sandwiches for dinner and I went to bed early after packing everything in the Jeep.
The next day I drove past Little Rock, Arkansas to Conway where my favorite cousin Laura Wilder Throckmorton lives with her precious family. They were my last big hurrah before heading back to the Wild West. I spent almost two hours talking to Laura and I finally got to meet her sweet daughter Anna Kate. There is nothing like the warm feeling of family. When I drove into Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to spend the night I was happy to find out that the family-owned restaurant attached to the hotel would deliver food right to your door. I ordered a pot roast plate with mashed potatoes, roasted cabbage and blackberry cobbler a la mode. I took a long bath in lavender epsom salts and then called it a holiday. The next morning I drove home to Dodge City, Kansas and unloaded all of my treasures.
Vacations always make me happy but I truly can't remember a Christmas break that I have enjoyed more than this one. I loaded up my Jeep a few minutes after work ended on December 16 and started driving toward The Mississippi River listening to Christmas music all the way. Paul and I traveled separately because he didn't want to be gone from home for 19 days. I spent two months planning out exactly how I would spend every single minute of my Christmas extravaganza in the South and in Las Vegas.
Basically I spent time hugging friends and looking them in the eyes as they told me about their lives. They talked and I listened over my favorite Memphis meals like meat and threes and Southern veggie plates. I reconnected with people I haven't seen in years. I sat down with friends and family that I text with constantly but rarely get to "really connect" with. And I "really" caught up on eating all the food I've missed over the last two years. I also got to visit restaurants I've only visited on Instagram so there were many days in a row where I felt like I was living in foodie Instagram heaven. Again, the whole vacation felt like one long daydream.
Here's what I ate and here's who I saw:
On my first full day at home Mom and I drove in to Memphis and ate lunch at Soul Fish Cafe. We both had veggie plates with cornbread and as usual I thought I could have eaten three helpings of white beans with hot sauce sprinkled on top. We shopped in all my favorite Memphis stores and came home to Batesville to have sushi for dinner at Yomata. I was thrilled to eat a crawfish roll and delicious shrimp fried rice. It was a great day of shopping and eating with Momma.
The next day I drove back to Memphis and went directly to India Palace to have the buffet with one of my oldest and dearest friends in Memphis: Deanna Stark. Not only was Deanna my choir director at church but we were in a French band together called Tarte Blanche and that band, my friends, was one of the best truly unanticipated pleasures of my life. Deanna was a teacher for many years and even though she changed careers she's still one of the funniest teacher badasses I've ever met. We both really love India Palace. She loves it so much she gave her dog the middle name Jamun for the gulab jamun desserts at India Palace. We had a great time catching up and I laughed the whole time.
After lunch I drove over to Williams Sonoma Outlet to meet up with one of my newest and best friends in Memphis: Stephanie Wilson. Even though we both moved away from Memphis we still love that dirty city and all the good memories it holds. We drove east towards Collierville to eat at One and Only BBQ, a place I'd never been even though there are a few of them in Memphis. I had the bbq nachos, deviled eggs and twice baked potato salad. This meal was the bomb! It's so hard to describe the difference in good and great bbq in Memphis because even though Central BBQ will always be my favorite, this place is one of my new favorites. And that potato salad!!
The next day I drove to Oxford, Mississippi to see the one and only Regan Hailman, my beloved high school French teacher. I drove to the Oxford Square an hour early so I could go in the bookstores and shop in Neilson's. Then I drove to Mrs. Hailman's beautiful home where we sat and drank a glass of champagne while we caught up for an hour. Then we drove to the Square and had lunch at Ajax, my favorite restaurant in Mississippi. I had, as usual, the sweet potato casserole, broccoli rice casserole, pot roast and turnip greens and chocolate chess pie and coffee for dessert. I nearly fell out when Mrs. Hailman said she'd never eaten in Ajax because her husband said it was too loud in there. That's like living in Memphis for 40 years and never trying BBQ! We had such a great heart-to-heart about life and love. I may get to visit her this summer in her house in France!
After I left her house I drove back to Batesville to pick up a suitcase for the trip to the in-laws in Nashville and headed back to Memphis to have dinner with one of my best friends of my entire life: Barry Flippo and his precious partner Reece. We decided to eat at El Porton in "our neighborhood" at Highland and Poplar but we're calling it the NEW El Porton because it moved into the space that Buffalo Wild Wings used to be. I liked the new space but it was weird to be in that space not eating medium wings with a side of cheese fries. I had my usual chicken nachos and a side of rice and listened with a happy face to all the news they had to share. It was so great to be home and exchanging Christmas gifts with people who make me think and laugh. Then Stephanie came in and joined the hilarity and then we left together to eat yet another meal! We went to Belly Acres at Overton Square and the food is SO delicious! I ordered the fried pickles with spicy ranch and a side of turnip greens. I had some of Stephanie's too and overall we loved the atmosphere, the decor and the food at Belly Acres. Afterwards we walked in Sweet Noshings for some gummi bears and other candies and drove to yet ANOTHER food destination: Muddy's Cupcakes. Stephanie had been looking for their gingerbread cookies twice already and finally they had some. I ate a chocolate cupcake (the Prozac) and a brown butter krispy treat and then I drove to my hotel in Memphis and passed out.
The next morning I drove three hours east to Nashville. I drove directly to Hattie B's Hot Chicken. This place has been on my mind and my Instagram feed forever. I could not WAIT to try it and it exceeded my expectations! I ordered the medium hot chicken tenders, black eye pea salad, French fries, pimento cheese macaroni, bread and pickles. The chicken was perfection. How can I describe it? The chicken was fried, obviously and the taste was dry peppery hot with a tight fitting soft crunch batter. The sides were good but the chicken was a home run. Afterwards I drove around downtown Nashville and couldn't decide if I wanted to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame or not. I decided that I would save it for another trip and eat some more instead. I went in Little Mosko's for a cappuccino and cornmeal blueberry cookies. The bakery is known for having only gf treats and I really wanted the "gf yourself" tee shirt but where would I wear this? To work? Nope.
Then I drove in to Franklin and went in The Factory to look at antiques and the other cute shops inside. At Franklin Juice Bar I had a strawberry blueberry mango smoothie and it energized me so much that I swore I would live on nothing but smoothies when I returned to Dodge City after Christmas. I bought some gf doughnuts in 5 Daughters Bakery and they were tasty but not as tasty as they looked. Then I walked up and down the Franklin Square and eventually made my way to my hotel for the evening. My hotel was in the same parking lot as a Cracker Barrel so I called in an order and ate a veggie plate with unsweet tea in front of the TV in my pajamas and then passed out!
The next morning I drove back to the Franklin Square and went in the Frothy Monkey for a cappuccino and a gf orange cranberry muffin. Both were delicious and I loved the early morning vibe in this place. Again, I feel like I have visited this place many times only because I follow them on Instagram. Fifteen minutes later Puckett's Grocery opened for breakfast and I went in for some scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuit and Gouda grits. Everyone knows Puckett's and I can't believe I'd never been there. The atmosphere was so charming and so Nashville. The grits were delicious, of course. I spent the rest of the morning buying supplies from a list I'd made for Bed, Bath and Beyond and TJ Maxx. I had Chipotle for lunch and got in the Christmas mood as I watched large families piling into the tables excited to be together. Then I went to a part of Franklin I'd never been, the antique district off the main drag of the Square. This is probably the most charming thing I did during the whole holiday. There were at least 7 stores all selling the prettiest antiques I've ever seen at the corner of 2nd Ave and Margin Street. The clerks were so hospitable and fun to talk to. I bought a faux fur wrap and an antique gold mirror. I was in heaven.
When I walked over to the antique book store Paul called and said he was pulling into his parents' driveway so I drove over to my in-laws' home in Franklin and hugged my in-laws, my husband and my little dog who had missed me terribly. That night Paul's parents took us to The Red Pony. I was ecstatic when my father-in-law announced that we would be having dinner there because I've always wanted to eat in this restaurant. It's a beautiful place right on the Franklin Square. I ordered the beef tenderloin and it was as soft as butter and flavored with a bouquet of intense spices. I also had the kale, orange, fennel and feta salad which was amazing. Paul ordered a delicious cheese plate with smoked salmon that he was allergic to (so I ate all of it) and Korean BBQ sushi (which tasted like pork heaven) We all shared an assortment of small pieces of bread in different shapes and flavors. I washed all of it down with the Bordeaux my father-in-law ordered for the table and a cocktail called the Down Loe made with sloe gin. This is probably the best meal I've ever had in Franklin, Tennessee.
The next day Mom Morelli made dinner: Cornish hens, winter vegetable bake, cornbread and peppermint ice cream and then we opened all of our Christmas presents! It was so fun unwrapping the thoughtful presents my mother-in-law had carefully picked out for me. Paul bought his parents a bottle of the local Dodge City whiskey from the new Boot Hill Distillery. We talked for a long time and then it was time for my best friend Amy to come over and whisk me away for our annual exchange of Christmas gifts and general catch-up fest. We ate at Mellow Mushroom on the Franklin Square and I ordered my usual gf pizza: pepperoni and black olive. I also had a gf lager that I wish I'd written the name down. It was delicious! It is always so very good to catch up with Amy and I was happy to hear about her new boyfriend.
The next morning Paul and I drove to Batesville and the three of us had sushi for dinner at Yomata. We went to church and I was happy to see some of my high school teachers and high school friends, especially Fisher Fleming Hicks who was my best friend in high school. Mom made a ton of food for Christmas Day lunch. We went to church and opened so many presents! I was truly spoiled this year. Afterwards the three of us took our dog for a long walk around Sardis Dam and then ended up at Yomata sushi again for dinner!
The morning after Christmas I drove to Stephanie's childhood home in Memphis. We spent the whole morning eating and hitting the after-Christmas sales. We had an unbelievably delicious breakfast at the Barksdale Cafe in Cooper Young. This is a place we always meant to try as "true Memphians" but better late than later. There are many places we are trying now that we've moved away and shake our heads in disbelief wondering how we could have lived so long in a place without eating at these places.
We had lunch at Cafe Ole before I got on the plane for Las Vegas and as usual the crazy corn was crazy delicious and the frozen margarita was the best in the entire world. When I got to Las Vegas I checked into my hotel The Flamingo at 7 PM local time but it felt like midnight to me. I stayed at the Flamingo because I wanted to be in the middle of the Strip and the rooms are large. I assumed it would be pretty quiet in Las Vegas after Christmas but the hotel and the whole Strip was super crowded and hopping with tourists from all over the world.
In truth when I woke up the next morning I felt like a mouse that had just been let loose in a cheese shop. I had made a list of all the places that I wanted to try in Las Vegas but I threw that out the window as soon as I saw the endless options of food to try right outside the hotel. I also quickly realized that if I didn't want to spend my whole vacation standing in line for food I would have to eat early in the morning. Sometimes that meant eating a lunch buffet at 7:30 in the morning. It was an odd schedule but it worked for me.
And you can read about the rest of the Las Vegas trip and see the pictures by clicking: HERE!
When I landed back in Memphis Stephanie was there to pick me up at the airport. She drove us to Patrick's at Park and Mt. Moriah for black eyed peas, squash, spinach casserole and cornbread. I had been to Patrick's before and loved it but I don't know why I never went there all the time! This place has AMAZINGLY good Southern food. It was New Year's Eve and raining and there weren't many people in the restaurant. It was so nice to catch Stephanie up on all my Las Vegas adventures and eat more yummy Southern food. Afterwards we went to my hotel and watched live New Year's Eve specials on TV.
The next morning Stephanie came to pick me up and we went to Bryant's for breakfast on Summer Ave. I feel like I've typed this a thousand times but I can't BELIEVE I'd never been to this place. It's been on Summer Ave since the 1960's and it blew my mind it was so good!! And an added bonus? I ran into one of my favorite students I taught at Middle College while I was in there and caught up on her college life! After another trip to Whole Foods it was time to say goodbye to Memphis and head back to my Mom's to pack up the vacation. Mom and I ate Subway sandwiches for dinner and I went to bed early after packing everything in the Jeep.
The next day I drove past Little Rock, Arkansas to Conway where my favorite cousin Laura Wilder Throckmorton lives with her precious family. They were my last big hurrah before heading back to the Wild West. I spent almost two hours talking to Laura and I finally got to meet her sweet daughter Anna Kate. There is nothing like the warm feeling of family. When I drove into Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to spend the night I was happy to find out that the family-owned restaurant attached to the hotel would deliver food right to your door. I ordered a pot roast plate with mashed potatoes, roasted cabbage and blackberry cobbler a la mode. I took a long bath in lavender epsom salts and then called it a holiday. The next morning I drove home to Dodge City, Kansas and unloaded all of my treasures.
Oxford, Mississippi and Mrs. Regan Hailman at her beautiful home
Barry Flippo (to my right), Deanna Stark (to my right), Stephanie Wilson and Amy Aston (to my right)
Christmas with our parents!
Family time with cousin Laura Wilder Throckmorton
Christmas Trip Home to the South, 2015
Finally it was December 18th and that afternoon school was out. Our bags were packed and we were kicking off the trip with dinner with two of our favorite people in Dodge City. Paul and I went to Prime on the Nine with Shannon and Brad Ralph. This was so much fun because they are a ton of fun and because we decided to belatedly celebrate the KC Royals winning the World Series. We all dressed up in our Royals gear and the Ralphs picked us up at our house. We had beef kebabs, raspberry chipotle pork tenderloin, salads, loaded mashed potatoes, raspberry sherbet and brownie sundae. The food as always at Prime on the Nine was incredibly good but I was so busy having fun talking to them that I barely noticed what I was eating!
Saturday, December 19th - Paul and I left for Kansas City around 10:00 and stopped once in a gas station for cheese puffs, Butterfinger cups, a caramel Milky Way and yellow butter popcorn. After checking in at our hotel we marched straight to Jack Stack BBQ for pork burnt ends, bone-in chicken, beef slices in sauce, large cheesy corn and coleslaw. We also ordered cocktails. I had a delicious tropical rum drink and Paul had a Moscow Mule, his new favorite drink with ginger beer, vodka and lime juice. When this delicious meal was over we walked all over the Country Club Plaza stopping in The Better Cheddar, Barnes & Noble, Sur La Table, L'Occitane, and Paper Source.
Sunday was one of the best days of the trip for me. I had a heavenly morning all over the Plaza. I started the day early by leaving the hotel at 6:45 and heading to the Starbucks in the Country Club Plaza. They didn't have the Sunday Times but I was so delirious to finally have a tall iced coffee with a half pump of hazelnut that I didn't mind. And I knew there was another Starbucks down the street. I also ordered a hot chocolate, an expensive water, an egg and bacon breakfast sandwich, and a full price Kind Bar. After breakfast I drove to the only store I knew would be open so early, a grocery store. THE grocery store for me in Kansas City. The Market Place at Brookside. I bought KC coffees, (no beer until 9:00 AM so that meant I forgot to go back and get some) Jack Stack traditional sauce and rub, a box of pastries for Paul, 7 grain GF bread for me, and other goodies I've gone without living in a small town. I even found Captain Rodney's sauce in there.
Next I drove to World Market where I bought a red cake stand, stuffed olives, licorice for my father-in-law THAT I FORGOT TO GIVE HIM, Ass-Kicking salsa for my husband and a new set of matching water/tea glasses and white coffee cups and saucers. I returned to the hotel just as Paul was finished getting ready so we were off to Cheesecake Factory for the kale and quinoa salad, Asian lettuce wraps, loaded tater tots and Godiva chocolate cheesecake. Paul ordered a Bloody Mary instead of his usual Flying Gorilla. Cheesecake Factory never disappoints and we even ran into someone we knew from Dodge City. After lunch Paul took Zeno for a walk around the park next to the Plaza while I made my final decisions and purchases in Sur La Table. I found a cappuccino tree ornament and also an escargot ornament. It was meant to be! I have a coffee Christmas tree in our kitchen this year AND every Christmas I give my students a snail shell and candy to remind them to go to Paris. I "needed" both of these ornaments. I also bought a Christmas apron and oven mitten and a few pieces of the Sur La Table Christmas china.
After a break we hit the record stores in Westport and then PRYDE'S! I have wanted to visit this store ever since my colleague Crystal told me about it. She raved about it so enthusiastically that I felt like I was sure to be disappointed if I didn't faint upon entering the door. She was not exaggerating. This place is jaw-dropping, heart-stopping kitchen nerd paradise. Go for the collection of Fiesta ware alone. The building is an old dance school turned into Pryde's Kitchen and Home Accessories. Every nook of this two story building is crammed with kitchen wonders. Cookbooks, aprons, food, dishes from every age and style, everything. I only bought three things because I was so overwhelmed: a Fiesta gurgle jar, a tea towel with the Pryde's logo and some pom berry jalapeño compote. I can't wait to return! After a trip to H&M standing in a very long check out line we went to Freebird's World Burrito for our first disappointing meal in there. We didn't eat much so I suggested we have dessert at Cafe Aixois, the beautiful and romantic French restaurant I'd discovered this summer. we had a kir royale, a sazerac, a cheese plate and an ile flottante. It was such a perfect day that went above my expectations for the fun I thought I'd have!
Monday was a 9 hour travel day from KC to Franklin, TN with stops at gas stations and Arby's for a tasty crispy chicken sandwich. For dinner in Franklin Paul's mom made a tasty taco soup and a fruit salad. I fell asleep 45 minutes after we ate.
Tuesday was a great day. We took our time getting ready and then we went to The Factory to look at antiques, home decor stores and a record store. We stopped for cappuccinos in Honest Coffee. This was a place in Franklin I hadn't been. On the carefully planned list I'd made for this 9-day trip I had underlined "try something new in Franklin." This was it. Honest Coffee roasts its own coffee and the cappuccino I had with my in-laws is to date the best cappuccino I've ever had. Mild with light foam. It needed no sugar. And it's a pretty space, easy to photograph. I bought a bag of their holiday blend to bring home and found a small journal for sale called 33 cups. I can't wait to write in this journal and make some for my foodie friends.
We opened presents and my in-laws gave me an Anthropologie gift card, Williams-Sonoma salted caramel hot chocolate and some salted caramel candies and so many other cute gifts. My mother-in-law made goat cheese and sun dried tomato stuffed chicken breasts, rolls and Waldorf salad. Later that afternoon my best friend Amy Aston drove over to pick me up and we ate dinner at Chuy's. I had the chicken flautas and a huge frozen margarita. It was such a treat to get to catch up with her and laugh and share all my secrets. Afterwards we walked around in Whole Foods and then went to Starbuck's on the Franklin Square to open presents. I had my first and probably last gingerbread latte of the season. (Ginger loves gingerbread lattes!) Amy gave me a box of Trader Joe's dark chocolate salted caramels and a small box of Frango dark chocolate mints (a great memory from our 20's when we went to Chicago all the time and walked into Marshall Field's for Frango in every flavor) and my big present was a pajama set with macarons on them. They're even labeled in French! I was sad for the evening to end!
Wednesday morning Paul and I walked around the Franklin Square in the rain and we took Zeno in A Taste of Home on the Franklin Square where I bought a Cat Studio Mississippi tea towel. I wanted one more cappuccino at Honest Coffee and then we called in a to go order from Mellow Mushroom (pepperoni pizza and Hawaiian pizza for Paul). I washed it down with a Coke and a chocolate cupcake from Whole Foods. We left Franklin and drove to Memphis. I hated not hitting Trader Joe's before we left the Nashville area but it is just too busy and it is especially so during thre holidays. Paul and I called in an order of nachos from McAlister's in our old neighborhood at Poplar and Highland and ate them under the carport of our old house. We drove another hour south to Batesville, MS to stay with my Mom for Christmas. She took us to the new sushi restaurant in town and it was really delicious!
Christmas Eve 2015
Mom took us to lunch at Zaxby's and then after church that evening at First Baptist Batesville we ate at the Chinese buffet close to my parents' home. I love any Chinese buffet anywhere, anytime. I especially loved it that Louisiana hot sauce was on every table. I love the South so much. I finally got to visit The Caramel Factory in Batesville, MIssissippi. I've always wanted to stop in this place on Hwy 6. The caramel cakes are heavenly but I discovered the white chocolate caramel cashew turtles and they were unbelievably tasty! I haven't tried the praline sugar cookie or the chocolate pralines yet but I'm sure they'll be heavenly too. I'll definitely be stopping in again the next time I visit my family in Mississippi.
Christmas Day 2015
We opened many presents (Mom bought two Peter's Pottery Mississippi shaped dishes for me) and Mom made lunch. She made a delicious sweet potato soufflé that Aunt Mildred used to make for the Christmas celebration at her house on Northwood Drive. I always want my mom's strawberry jello and sour cream salad and she made it. She had a honey baked ham that we took leftovers from. She made green bean casserole and cornbread dressing in the crock pot. For dessert there was pecan pie. We hit the road again to go back to Memphis. This time we stayed two nights with my dear friend Stephanie Wilson.
We ate Christmas dinner with Stephanie who had picked up Central BBQ the day before. She also made a delicious appetizer with cream cheese and hot pepper bacon jam from Simply Hickory Farms that she served with rice crackers. For dessert we ate a chess pie she had made and split a GF chocolate cupcake from Whole Foods. We opened presents and Stephanie gave me two big boxes full of heaven: four bags of Harry and David popcorn, Vail Mountain coffee, a jar of Goop's salted caramel, pepper jelly from Beale Street's A. Schwab store, Walker's GF shortbread cookies, a coffee mug from Hominy Grill in Charleston, Pate's Dirty South seasoning, a personalized address stamper with a cowboy boot on it, a coin purse that says Coffee Monster, and a tee shirt that says "Summer never ends. It just turns into North Parkway." You have to know Memphis to understand. Stephanie gets me. She truly does.
The day after Christmas was a perfect shopping and eating day. Stephanie and I left her house at 7:15 AM and drove to Poplar and Perkins to Staks for breakfast. This place is so cute and though the food doesn't scream gourmet, it was special. The GF cinnamon pancakes were sweet and heavy on nutmeg. The Gouda grits were perfect. The eggs and bacon and biscuit (especially the biscuit) were really tasty. The hash browns would have been delicious if the cook hadn't burned the edges. Stephanie and I left this place ready to shop. And we did. At Anthropologie, Pier 1, Williams Sonoma outlet, Pottery Barn outlet, Dinstuhl's, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Whole Foods.
For lunch we ate at my favorite Southern food joint in town: Soul Fish Cafe. This time I ordered something new, the blackened catfish dip with tortilla chips. Stephanie also ordered an appetizer we'd never tried before, the fried pickled green tomatoes. These two appetizers were really delicious separately but they also complimented each other. I ordered the vegetable plate with turnip greens, grilled zucchini, white beans, cucumber salad and cornbread. Unsweet tea to drink and caramel cake for dessert. As usual the meal at Soul Fish was perfection and the service was great.
When Paul returned from record store hopping we went to our old house on Century Street that is still on the market. We are both surprised by how small the house seems to us now. We drove to the Booksellers and I looked at cookbooks and the pretty gifts for sale. I bought Cheryl Strayed's book Brave Enough to saturate my brain with positive quotes for the new year. We drove to Whole Foods and I bought more of my favorite GF chocolate cupcakes and favorite bagels to enjoy during my week at home in Dodge City.
Stephanie was feeling under the weather and then her little dog got sick so she couldn't join us for dinner and Beale Street. Paul and I went to Westy's (formerly The North End) because it is Paul's favorite restaurant in Memphis. It has a vast menu with rice dishes, every appetizer known to mankind and Paul swears, the best sandwiches ever. I love the crunchy tater tots with ranch dip and would want them as part of my last meal on earth. After dinner (Mediterranean sandwich, rice/broccoli/cheddar dish and tater tots) we drove over to Beale Street and walked through the tourists and acrobats back-hand springing down the middle of the street. We arrived at the Rum Boogie and Paul sat in on trumpet with Freeworld, the band he played with every weekend for a year before we moved to Kansas. The guys in the band were so happy to see him. The music was so good and the beer tasted so good. It was 70 degrees outside in December. I was sweating and drinking Bud Light and dancing in my seat. I felt like a college girl again.
The next morning I woke up early and started loading the Jeep with all our luggage, presents and new purchases. Paul and I left Stephanie's sweet little house at 7:30 AM and drove out of Memphis, our old city and home, to Tulsa for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and then finally to Dodge City, Kansas. I can't lie. It was hard to go back to our quiet beautiful house after so much excitement. I only gained five pounds after this bacchanal of holiday eating. It's now time to return to work and the gym and our good life in Dodge City. I feel so much gratitude for our family and friends and the good times Paul and I have together.
Finally it was December 18th and that afternoon school was out. Our bags were packed and we were kicking off the trip with dinner with two of our favorite people in Dodge City. Paul and I went to Prime on the Nine with Shannon and Brad Ralph. This was so much fun because they are a ton of fun and because we decided to belatedly celebrate the KC Royals winning the World Series. We all dressed up in our Royals gear and the Ralphs picked us up at our house. We had beef kebabs, raspberry chipotle pork tenderloin, salads, loaded mashed potatoes, raspberry sherbet and brownie sundae. The food as always at Prime on the Nine was incredibly good but I was so busy having fun talking to them that I barely noticed what I was eating!
Saturday, December 19th - Paul and I left for Kansas City around 10:00 and stopped once in a gas station for cheese puffs, Butterfinger cups, a caramel Milky Way and yellow butter popcorn. After checking in at our hotel we marched straight to Jack Stack BBQ for pork burnt ends, bone-in chicken, beef slices in sauce, large cheesy corn and coleslaw. We also ordered cocktails. I had a delicious tropical rum drink and Paul had a Moscow Mule, his new favorite drink with ginger beer, vodka and lime juice. When this delicious meal was over we walked all over the Country Club Plaza stopping in The Better Cheddar, Barnes & Noble, Sur La Table, L'Occitane, and Paper Source.
Sunday was one of the best days of the trip for me. I had a heavenly morning all over the Plaza. I started the day early by leaving the hotel at 6:45 and heading to the Starbucks in the Country Club Plaza. They didn't have the Sunday Times but I was so delirious to finally have a tall iced coffee with a half pump of hazelnut that I didn't mind. And I knew there was another Starbucks down the street. I also ordered a hot chocolate, an expensive water, an egg and bacon breakfast sandwich, and a full price Kind Bar. After breakfast I drove to the only store I knew would be open so early, a grocery store. THE grocery store for me in Kansas City. The Market Place at Brookside. I bought KC coffees, (no beer until 9:00 AM so that meant I forgot to go back and get some) Jack Stack traditional sauce and rub, a box of pastries for Paul, 7 grain GF bread for me, and other goodies I've gone without living in a small town. I even found Captain Rodney's sauce in there.
Next I drove to World Market where I bought a red cake stand, stuffed olives, licorice for my father-in-law THAT I FORGOT TO GIVE HIM, Ass-Kicking salsa for my husband and a new set of matching water/tea glasses and white coffee cups and saucers. I returned to the hotel just as Paul was finished getting ready so we were off to Cheesecake Factory for the kale and quinoa salad, Asian lettuce wraps, loaded tater tots and Godiva chocolate cheesecake. Paul ordered a Bloody Mary instead of his usual Flying Gorilla. Cheesecake Factory never disappoints and we even ran into someone we knew from Dodge City. After lunch Paul took Zeno for a walk around the park next to the Plaza while I made my final decisions and purchases in Sur La Table. I found a cappuccino tree ornament and also an escargot ornament. It was meant to be! I have a coffee Christmas tree in our kitchen this year AND every Christmas I give my students a snail shell and candy to remind them to go to Paris. I "needed" both of these ornaments. I also bought a Christmas apron and oven mitten and a few pieces of the Sur La Table Christmas china.
After a break we hit the record stores in Westport and then PRYDE'S! I have wanted to visit this store ever since my colleague Crystal told me about it. She raved about it so enthusiastically that I felt like I was sure to be disappointed if I didn't faint upon entering the door. She was not exaggerating. This place is jaw-dropping, heart-stopping kitchen nerd paradise. Go for the collection of Fiesta ware alone. The building is an old dance school turned into Pryde's Kitchen and Home Accessories. Every nook of this two story building is crammed with kitchen wonders. Cookbooks, aprons, food, dishes from every age and style, everything. I only bought three things because I was so overwhelmed: a Fiesta gurgle jar, a tea towel with the Pryde's logo and some pom berry jalapeño compote. I can't wait to return! After a trip to H&M standing in a very long check out line we went to Freebird's World Burrito for our first disappointing meal in there. We didn't eat much so I suggested we have dessert at Cafe Aixois, the beautiful and romantic French restaurant I'd discovered this summer. we had a kir royale, a sazerac, a cheese plate and an ile flottante. It was such a perfect day that went above my expectations for the fun I thought I'd have!
Monday was a 9 hour travel day from KC to Franklin, TN with stops at gas stations and Arby's for a tasty crispy chicken sandwich. For dinner in Franklin Paul's mom made a tasty taco soup and a fruit salad. I fell asleep 45 minutes after we ate.
Tuesday was a great day. We took our time getting ready and then we went to The Factory to look at antiques, home decor stores and a record store. We stopped for cappuccinos in Honest Coffee. This was a place in Franklin I hadn't been. On the carefully planned list I'd made for this 9-day trip I had underlined "try something new in Franklin." This was it. Honest Coffee roasts its own coffee and the cappuccino I had with my in-laws is to date the best cappuccino I've ever had. Mild with light foam. It needed no sugar. And it's a pretty space, easy to photograph. I bought a bag of their holiday blend to bring home and found a small journal for sale called 33 cups. I can't wait to write in this journal and make some for my foodie friends.
We opened presents and my in-laws gave me an Anthropologie gift card, Williams-Sonoma salted caramel hot chocolate and some salted caramel candies and so many other cute gifts. My mother-in-law made goat cheese and sun dried tomato stuffed chicken breasts, rolls and Waldorf salad. Later that afternoon my best friend Amy Aston drove over to pick me up and we ate dinner at Chuy's. I had the chicken flautas and a huge frozen margarita. It was such a treat to get to catch up with her and laugh and share all my secrets. Afterwards we walked around in Whole Foods and then went to Starbuck's on the Franklin Square to open presents. I had my first and probably last gingerbread latte of the season. (Ginger loves gingerbread lattes!) Amy gave me a box of Trader Joe's dark chocolate salted caramels and a small box of Frango dark chocolate mints (a great memory from our 20's when we went to Chicago all the time and walked into Marshall Field's for Frango in every flavor) and my big present was a pajama set with macarons on them. They're even labeled in French! I was sad for the evening to end!
Wednesday morning Paul and I walked around the Franklin Square in the rain and we took Zeno in A Taste of Home on the Franklin Square where I bought a Cat Studio Mississippi tea towel. I wanted one more cappuccino at Honest Coffee and then we called in a to go order from Mellow Mushroom (pepperoni pizza and Hawaiian pizza for Paul). I washed it down with a Coke and a chocolate cupcake from Whole Foods. We left Franklin and drove to Memphis. I hated not hitting Trader Joe's before we left the Nashville area but it is just too busy and it is especially so during thre holidays. Paul and I called in an order of nachos from McAlister's in our old neighborhood at Poplar and Highland and ate them under the carport of our old house. We drove another hour south to Batesville, MS to stay with my Mom for Christmas. She took us to the new sushi restaurant in town and it was really delicious!
Christmas Eve 2015
Mom took us to lunch at Zaxby's and then after church that evening at First Baptist Batesville we ate at the Chinese buffet close to my parents' home. I love any Chinese buffet anywhere, anytime. I especially loved it that Louisiana hot sauce was on every table. I love the South so much. I finally got to visit The Caramel Factory in Batesville, MIssissippi. I've always wanted to stop in this place on Hwy 6. The caramel cakes are heavenly but I discovered the white chocolate caramel cashew turtles and they were unbelievably tasty! I haven't tried the praline sugar cookie or the chocolate pralines yet but I'm sure they'll be heavenly too. I'll definitely be stopping in again the next time I visit my family in Mississippi.
Christmas Day 2015
We opened many presents (Mom bought two Peter's Pottery Mississippi shaped dishes for me) and Mom made lunch. She made a delicious sweet potato soufflé that Aunt Mildred used to make for the Christmas celebration at her house on Northwood Drive. I always want my mom's strawberry jello and sour cream salad and she made it. She had a honey baked ham that we took leftovers from. She made green bean casserole and cornbread dressing in the crock pot. For dessert there was pecan pie. We hit the road again to go back to Memphis. This time we stayed two nights with my dear friend Stephanie Wilson.
We ate Christmas dinner with Stephanie who had picked up Central BBQ the day before. She also made a delicious appetizer with cream cheese and hot pepper bacon jam from Simply Hickory Farms that she served with rice crackers. For dessert we ate a chess pie she had made and split a GF chocolate cupcake from Whole Foods. We opened presents and Stephanie gave me two big boxes full of heaven: four bags of Harry and David popcorn, Vail Mountain coffee, a jar of Goop's salted caramel, pepper jelly from Beale Street's A. Schwab store, Walker's GF shortbread cookies, a coffee mug from Hominy Grill in Charleston, Pate's Dirty South seasoning, a personalized address stamper with a cowboy boot on it, a coin purse that says Coffee Monster, and a tee shirt that says "Summer never ends. It just turns into North Parkway." You have to know Memphis to understand. Stephanie gets me. She truly does.
The day after Christmas was a perfect shopping and eating day. Stephanie and I left her house at 7:15 AM and drove to Poplar and Perkins to Staks for breakfast. This place is so cute and though the food doesn't scream gourmet, it was special. The GF cinnamon pancakes were sweet and heavy on nutmeg. The Gouda grits were perfect. The eggs and bacon and biscuit (especially the biscuit) were really tasty. The hash browns would have been delicious if the cook hadn't burned the edges. Stephanie and I left this place ready to shop. And we did. At Anthropologie, Pier 1, Williams Sonoma outlet, Pottery Barn outlet, Dinstuhl's, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Whole Foods.
For lunch we ate at my favorite Southern food joint in town: Soul Fish Cafe. This time I ordered something new, the blackened catfish dip with tortilla chips. Stephanie also ordered an appetizer we'd never tried before, the fried pickled green tomatoes. These two appetizers were really delicious separately but they also complimented each other. I ordered the vegetable plate with turnip greens, grilled zucchini, white beans, cucumber salad and cornbread. Unsweet tea to drink and caramel cake for dessert. As usual the meal at Soul Fish was perfection and the service was great.
When Paul returned from record store hopping we went to our old house on Century Street that is still on the market. We are both surprised by how small the house seems to us now. We drove to the Booksellers and I looked at cookbooks and the pretty gifts for sale. I bought Cheryl Strayed's book Brave Enough to saturate my brain with positive quotes for the new year. We drove to Whole Foods and I bought more of my favorite GF chocolate cupcakes and favorite bagels to enjoy during my week at home in Dodge City.
Stephanie was feeling under the weather and then her little dog got sick so she couldn't join us for dinner and Beale Street. Paul and I went to Westy's (formerly The North End) because it is Paul's favorite restaurant in Memphis. It has a vast menu with rice dishes, every appetizer known to mankind and Paul swears, the best sandwiches ever. I love the crunchy tater tots with ranch dip and would want them as part of my last meal on earth. After dinner (Mediterranean sandwich, rice/broccoli/cheddar dish and tater tots) we drove over to Beale Street and walked through the tourists and acrobats back-hand springing down the middle of the street. We arrived at the Rum Boogie and Paul sat in on trumpet with Freeworld, the band he played with every weekend for a year before we moved to Kansas. The guys in the band were so happy to see him. The music was so good and the beer tasted so good. It was 70 degrees outside in December. I was sweating and drinking Bud Light and dancing in my seat. I felt like a college girl again.
The next morning I woke up early and started loading the Jeep with all our luggage, presents and new purchases. Paul and I left Stephanie's sweet little house at 7:30 AM and drove out of Memphis, our old city and home, to Tulsa for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and then finally to Dodge City, Kansas. I can't lie. It was hard to go back to our quiet beautiful house after so much excitement. I only gained five pounds after this bacchanal of holiday eating. It's now time to return to work and the gym and our good life in Dodge City. I feel so much gratitude for our family and friends and the good times Paul and I have together.
Below are some Christmas presents and purchases that are mostly food related!
Christmas 2015 - Dodge City, Kansas
Christmas time is here again! As a busy teacher it is both joyful and stressful to try to cook for every party and get-together that pops up. Even in a small town like Dodge City there are plenty of celebrations. As soon as Thanksgiving dishes were emptied into the garbage bag it was time to start cooking and freezing treats for our Open House for Paul's jazz orchestra and the community symphony orchestra. I started by freezing sausage balls and cheese biscuits. I usually make gluten free cheddar biscuits but this time I decided to make regular Bisquick biscuits as well adding garlic and parsley to the mix. This batch was disappointing and had the texture of cardboard. I hated to waste them so I decided to freeze them and later put them in a chicken and biscuit casserole where they would soak up cream of chicken, sour cream and the flavors of cooked onion and celery. This saved them and was one of the biggest hits at the party. I made and froze an apple Brown Betty. This dessert is getting tired or it doesn't taste as yummy as it used to or I must try it with different ingredients next time. As the work week began I made white bark pretzels that I stored in large ziplock bags and made extra for my students. The two days leading up to the party I made Captain Rodney's dip again, coconut macaroons, two pumpkin cheesecakes, many brownies with hazelnut icing and sprinkles, bleu cheese biscuits, sweet potato casserole, onion dip, beer cheddar dip, a vegetable tray with Ree Drummond's home made ranch dip, a large quiche with basil, spicy olives and cheddar, pomegranate punch in the spiked and non-alcoholic versions, and some no-knead bread that was hot from the oven when the guests arrived. Paul made two large bags of chex mix and some delicious sandwiches with ham, swiss and Dijon mustard topped with olives. I had small cards that labeled each dish. Our guests were so gracious and enthusiastic. I love cooking for a crowd like this.
Later that evening Paul and I left the dirty dishes out and drove over to Nan and Butch Pyle's house for a Christmas party. We ate delicious food and laughed and drank with our friends the Kuplics. It was also nice to meet new people in Dodge City.
Monday was a snow day and it was such a welcome day to clean up from the party, cook out everything in the refrigerator (making quiche and ratatouille for all my students) and make careful lists for each day of the week in preparation for the close of school and a long trip to the South to see friends and family. We had a teacher's potluck in my wing of the school with meatballs, sugary sausages, a wild rice dish, a Tuscan soup and there were leftover sweets for the rest of the week in the teacher's lounge.
By the end of the week my brain was made of jello but I was proud of my students' work and my own work with them as the final days drew to a close. Our principal organized a sponsored barbeque lunch from Billy Sims' BBQ. I love going to this place in town and I was thrilled to get to try a little bit of everything including some menu items I had missed in the restaurant.
Christmas time is here again! As a busy teacher it is both joyful and stressful to try to cook for every party and get-together that pops up. Even in a small town like Dodge City there are plenty of celebrations. As soon as Thanksgiving dishes were emptied into the garbage bag it was time to start cooking and freezing treats for our Open House for Paul's jazz orchestra and the community symphony orchestra. I started by freezing sausage balls and cheese biscuits. I usually make gluten free cheddar biscuits but this time I decided to make regular Bisquick biscuits as well adding garlic and parsley to the mix. This batch was disappointing and had the texture of cardboard. I hated to waste them so I decided to freeze them and later put them in a chicken and biscuit casserole where they would soak up cream of chicken, sour cream and the flavors of cooked onion and celery. This saved them and was one of the biggest hits at the party. I made and froze an apple Brown Betty. This dessert is getting tired or it doesn't taste as yummy as it used to or I must try it with different ingredients next time. As the work week began I made white bark pretzels that I stored in large ziplock bags and made extra for my students. The two days leading up to the party I made Captain Rodney's dip again, coconut macaroons, two pumpkin cheesecakes, many brownies with hazelnut icing and sprinkles, bleu cheese biscuits, sweet potato casserole, onion dip, beer cheddar dip, a vegetable tray with Ree Drummond's home made ranch dip, a large quiche with basil, spicy olives and cheddar, pomegranate punch in the spiked and non-alcoholic versions, and some no-knead bread that was hot from the oven when the guests arrived. Paul made two large bags of chex mix and some delicious sandwiches with ham, swiss and Dijon mustard topped with olives. I had small cards that labeled each dish. Our guests were so gracious and enthusiastic. I love cooking for a crowd like this.
Later that evening Paul and I left the dirty dishes out and drove over to Nan and Butch Pyle's house for a Christmas party. We ate delicious food and laughed and drank with our friends the Kuplics. It was also nice to meet new people in Dodge City.
Monday was a snow day and it was such a welcome day to clean up from the party, cook out everything in the refrigerator (making quiche and ratatouille for all my students) and make careful lists for each day of the week in preparation for the close of school and a long trip to the South to see friends and family. We had a teacher's potluck in my wing of the school with meatballs, sugary sausages, a wild rice dish, a Tuscan soup and there were leftover sweets for the rest of the week in the teacher's lounge.
By the end of the week my brain was made of jello but I was proud of my students' work and my own work with them as the final days drew to a close. Our principal organized a sponsored barbeque lunch from Billy Sims' BBQ. I love going to this place in town and I was thrilled to get to try a little bit of everything including some menu items I had missed in the restaurant.
Christmas 2014, Memphis, Tennessee. Paul's parents came over to celebrate Christmas right before we moved. In Memphis I always set up a separate table for desserts for the holidays. I can't wait to entertain again next year in our new house in Dodge City, Kansas.
Christmas in Memphis, 2013